Rodgers doing good, Carroll ...

This was in the WSJ today. Sounds good for Rodgers. But as I suspected from different pieces I've read earlier Carroll needs an attitude adjustment. I think Joey Thomas might beat him out this year. Check out the comment by Flanny about Carroll.
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GREEN BAY - While he is the first to admit he still isn't sure of what he's doing on the field, rookie quarterback Aaron Rodgers appears to be doing everything right off it so far.

From his offseason-long seen-and-not-heard approach in the locker room, to his playful cartwheel and piggy-back ride after hitting two home runs in Brett Favre's charity softball game Sunday, to his potentially expensive dinner's-on-me night out with the offensive linemen Tuesday, the Green Bay Packers' first-round draft pick is making a good first impression on his new teammates.

"He's not rubbing anyone wrong, like some guys do - like that (expletive) over there," veteran center Mike Flanagan said, motioning to the empty locker of cornerback Ahmad Carroll, the Packers' No. 1 pick last year. "Compared to some of the No. 1's we've had in the past, he's trying to learn as much as he can, rather than talking (trash) and that stuff. I think it'll benefit him in the long run."

After his eighth day of minicamp practices - three at the post-draft minicamp, and five during the organized team activity camp that ends Thursday - Rodgers admitted Tuesday he hasn't come close to showing his on-field abilities yet. But he's smart enough to know winning the respect of his teammates is about more than just how he plays.

"As a rookie, guys are looking at you to see what kind of guy you are. For me, I wanted to come in and let them know that I'm just a guy who's going to come to work everyday, that I don't have a big ego, that I'm just trying to fit in," Rodgers said.

"You have to be very confident in your abilities. If you don't have confidence in yourself, no one's going to believe in you. But I think the expectations of a first-round pick, a lot of times, are that they're cocky or they're full of themselves. I'm coming in saying, 'Hey, I've got a lot to prove, I fell in the draft, I've got a chip on my shoulder, and I haven't accomplished anything yet.' "

'Confident, not cocky'

However, because he is a quarterback, he must also carry himself with confidence, so Rodgers said he has to walk the fine line between exuding self-assuredness while not seeming arrogant.

At Favre's softball game, Rodgers seemed to pull it off, as his ugly cartwheel and ride on the back of wide receiver Antonio Chatman came off as all-in-good-fun gags rather than look-at-me attention grabbers. His idea to take all the linemen out to dinner was a savvy move, even though his decision to let the linemen choose the restaurant may not have been. (The line's in-season dinners can cost thousands of dollars.)

"I would say he's very confident, but not cocky. I would say he has the right amount of balance, because to play that position, you have to have some self-confidence to you," said kicker Ryan Longwell, whose locker is adjacent to Rodgers'. "The thing Aaron has going for him is he doesn't have to come in here and start right away like a normal first-round quarterback has to. So he's got time to assimilate to the town and the offense and the locker room."

While the heir apparent title does come with high expectations, it likely won't be until 2006 or '07 that Rodgers takes over the Packers' offense. Favre said Sunday he might play beyond this season, and Rodgers said he is fine with that.

But that doesn't mean Rodgers can wait until then to earn respect from other players. When he first entered the huddle in April, Rodgers struggled to spit out the play calls and had very little authority in his voice. Now, even though he's running mostly with the third string, he sounds much more confident.

"Now, he gets in and says, 'All right guys, let's get things going.' Every day, he's getting more and more, I don't want to say forceful, but it's like, 'When I talk, let's listen,' " backup left tackle Brad Bedell said. "Who knows when he'll play, but he needs to start earning the respect now."

Said Rodgers: "When my time does come, these guys need to know what kind of guy I am. And at the same time, I don't know anybody. So I'm trying to get to know guys and let them get to know me and let them know what kind of guy I am."

Still learning

Rodgers, 21, said he's learned a few lessons along the way about the fine confident-or-cocky line.

He said during taping for a made-for-television skills competition in Miami prior to the scouting combine, some people told him he came across as arrogant. Then came his ill-advised one-liner on ESPN, when he joked that Favre was "lazy" for not attending the post-draft minicamp. Since then, he's avoided such mistakes.

Rodgers said one thing he's noticed about Favre in their limited interaction is how effortlessly he walks that line. He was awestruck when he met Favre at practice last week and giddy when he started alongside him in the softball game - Favre played shortstop, Rodgers third base - but Favre never made him feel second-rate.

Now, he wants to make everyone else feel like Favre made him feel.

"I think the respect that you command and deserve in the huddle comes from two things - the way you treat people off the field and your performance on the field," Rodgers said. "As I continue to improve, and the guys get to know me and what kind of guy I am, I think there's a mutual respect that's formed

A lot has been made about how Rodgers has a great opportunity to learn how to play QB in the NFL from watching Favre for the next year or two, but as many have pointed out, Favre has a style that will be hard to emulate. What this article does tell me though, is Rodgers is already doing a good job of something Brett mastered early on in his career with the Packers, and that's earning his teammates trust and respect. It still remains to be seen if he can perform on the field, but this is a positive beginning.

I was listening to a talk show up here last night w/, I think, Johnny Gray and someone else, anywho...they were saying Carrol is really digging his own grave right now...very cocky, unwilling to adapt, chip on his shoulder, etc. while Thomas is the complete opposite, plus has demonstrated much better technique than Carrol, who apparently was drafted primarily based on combine stats. He's really in the doghouse now from what it sounds like.

"I was listening to a talk show up here last night w/, I think, Johnny Gray and someone else, anywho...they were saying Carrol is really digging his own grave right now...very cocky, unwilling to adapt, chip on his shoulder, etc. while Thomas is the complete opposite, plus has demonstrated much better technique than Carrol, who apparently was drafted primarily based on combine stats. He's really in the doghouse now from what it sounds like."

May be the doghouse is just what he needs... Until that time when he matures and realizes that there are 52 other players on the team.

Leave it to Flanny to speak the truth. You gotta love that guy. He is by far the best interview on the team. Maybe Carroll needs to hear that.

I had heard that one reason Rodgers was not taken earlier in the team was that there were doubts about his attitude, that he was too much of a "big man on campus" type. So it's good to hear that he is off to a good start in getting along with his teammates.

@^&^%#&($&, I hope something or someone gets Carroll to come around or it will be another 1st round pick wasted. I could not believe they picked
Carroll(5'9") over Gamble(6'0"). I know ... spilled milk, but it still ticks me off. Now to find out he has a horsesh!t attitude is more frustrating.

I would try to peddle him and if I can get anthing decent for him-good bye. :twisted: uke:

I agree. I think he's ours to develop or cut. I don't see many teams knocking the door down to take a short, cocky, uncoachable, holding-prone CB. Maybe it's just me. Somebody remind me of this post if he really pans out this year and I will take everything back and I hope I have to. I just am having my doubts because he doesn't seem to be making the strides that you want a second-year player to be making.